ZION, Ill. (AP) — Authorities in northern Illinois are warning swimmers to be careful in Lake Michigan, saying the lake can be dangerous especially at this time of year when water temperatures remain chilly.
The warning comes after a 20-year-old Zion man drowned in the lake while trying to swim to a raft about 50 yards from shore at Adeline Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park. Jorge Garduno was pronounced dead Monday.
Beach Park Fire Chief Paul Tierney tells The (Waukegan) News-Sun (http://bit.ly/LezzgF ) that Garduno was found in an area that has a steep drop-off about 15 to 20 feet from shore.
Tierney adds that the water remains in the upper 50s or low 60s and swimmers can get out into the water and start cramping up at those temperatures.